From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observations:
One student is texting under the desk with his left hand, and taking notes with his right hand.
Two girls are whispering across tables, about the weekend party that happened. It has been the discussion amongst most of the students at the beginning and end of class.
One girl is folding a note in a square. She then throws it to a boy sitting across the room. The boy who receives the note, looks at her and laughs. Then opens the note to read it. All the while, the girl who sent the note is smiling and waiting for the boy's reaction.
The boy begins to write a note back to the girl, when my CT notices and takes the note from the boy and places it on the front desk, and informs them they can get the note at the end of class.
Most of the students are taking notes from the powerpoint, onto the worksheet provided by the teacher. I honestly feel that most of the students are paying attention and listening and participating in the lesson.
Some students start to look tired/bored towards the end of the notetaking. A couple of students have their arms holding up their head, but continue to take notes.
My CT uses a variety of strategies to encorage students to pay attention and engage in the lesson. For one, my CT continually askes the students questions, checking for the students' understanding. She calls randomly on students, and on students that are raising their hands. She gives students enough wait time to answer the questions she asks. Also, if she thinks a student is not paying attention or not listening, she asks the student to paraphrase what was just said, or if they agree or disagree with another student's answer. The CT uses her presence as a way to monitor and encourage participation. She continually walks slowly around the room, monitoring students' work.
I think that student engagement is important to my view of how I will teach. Ideally, I would want to have every single student engaged in my lesson plan and activity participating. I feel that it is important to keep students on their toes, by calling on them randomly as well as when they raise their hand. I feel that it is important for student's to listen not only to myself, but also to other students when they respond to questions. I think it is important for students to be able to paraphrase and answer questions readily while being in class. I will use the same strategies that my CT used to keep students engaged such as walking around the classroom and monitoring student work. Teachers need to almost have eyes in the back of their head, and need to have a good connection to the students as a whole. I also think that by creating engaging lesson plans and interesting notetaking guides, you are encouraging students' engagement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observations:
My CT uses a variety of strategies to encorage students to pay attention and engage in the lesson. For one, my CT continually askes the students questions, checking for the students' understanding. She calls randomly on students, and on students that are raising their hands. She gives students enough wait time to answer the questions she asks. Also, if she thinks a student is not paying attention or not listening, she asks the student to paraphrase what was just said, or if they agree or disagree with another student's answer. The CT uses her presence as a way to monitor and encourage participation. She continually walks slowly around the room, monitoring students' work.
I think that student engagement is important to my view of how I will teach. Ideally, I would want to have every single student engaged in my lesson plan and activity participating. I feel that it is important to keep students on their toes, by calling on them randomly as well as when they raise their hand. I feel that it is important for student's to listen not only to myself, but also to other students when they respond to questions. I think it is important for students to be able to paraphrase and answer questions readily while being in class. I will use the same strategies that my CT used to keep students engaged such as walking around the classroom and monitoring student work. Teachers need to almost have eyes in the back of their head, and need to have a good connection to the students as a whole. I also think that by creating engaging lesson plans and interesting notetaking guides, you are encouraging students' engagement.